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i 1 '\-m tl' How much profit does a workman reap from his day's labor? How much ooght he to reap? Does a "good living" oome under the head of profit, or is it properly a part of the cost of producing a day's labor? How far can human energies be measured and human values standardized in order that the cost of a day's labor may be standardized? 'Questions like these occur in one period or another of every man's, thought about a system of economics which shall be more solidly based than any which serves us. now. But a more than academic interest attaches to these questions, for they are the real even if unspoken, basis flcjr much of the irritation and confusion which exists in the industrial world tKfday. ,'iThe workingman is beginning to understand that he is in business. His Inkw material is human energy. His product is a day's work. All other business men seek a profit above cost \0 production', why should .not he? 1 The difficulty thus fai? &as been in niaking out the cost sheet. How much does it cost to produce a day's work? Ithat is the question for which there seems to be no satisfactory basic an sjwer. i It is perhaps accurately to determine .rvalbeit with considerable interference ..with the day's work itselfhow much energy the day's work takes out of a i man. But it is not at all possible to accurately determine Jiow much it will require to put back that energy into him against the next day's demands. ?Nor fe is it possible to determine how much of that expended energy you will never be able to put back at allbe cause a "sinking fund" for the replace ment of- the body and vital strength of a worker has never been invented. It is possible, however, to consider these latter problems in a lump and provide for them under a form of old age pensions but even so, we have not thus attended to the question of-profit which each day's labor ought to yield in order to take care of all of life's overhead, all physical losses, and the inevitable deterioration which falls up on all earthly thing3. i Moreover, there are questions having to do with the pre-productive period, which would have to be.solved. Here is the man, let us say, ready to begin Ms service to society by turning out days' work throughout his life. How much did it cost to rear and educate him to his present age and usefulness? And how can that be figured as part of the cost of the energy he puts forth as he works today? Now, if it were the ase of a machine, you would know what to charge. The machine cost a certain sum it wears out at a given rate it would cost such-and-such an THE PROFIT IN DAY'S WAGE 1 From the Dearborn Independent, The Ford International Weekly. yj llilli!UI!lllllIIIIIIII!ll!llllllll!li!IIIIIIII!!lllllll!l amount to replace. It is a simple mat- {mine of wealth that has ever been open- terto figure the actual cost of the iha-led. elrine and is productive work, and add Certainly it caiihot be made io carry the. profit. less than all the worker's ouside obliga- Can we do that with .men? Rather, i tions. And certainly it Ought to be oaa. men do that for themselves, so that made tb take care of *he worker's sun- selling a day's work they will have as set days when labor is no longer possi- ^4 intelligent an idea of the cost of that day's work and the profit it ought to 1,1^.-" trtng, as any manufacturer ought to KI is*re of his product? The problem becomes more eompli ated when you consider the man in all tjftfll aspects. For he is more than a workman who spends a certain number i f hours at his work in the shop every If he were only himself, the cost of fsfa maintenance and the profit he ought to have would be a simple matter. But fc is more than himself. He is a citi- BCH, contributing by his cultivation and interest to the welfare of the city. He is probably a householder, living under conditions which represent more than mere maintenance, in that they repre sent the graces of social life. More than that, he is probably a father with a more or less numerous progeny, all of whom must subsist and be reared to usefulness on what he is able to earn. Now, it is obvious that to regard the man alone, refusing to reckon with the home and the family in the background, is to arrive at a series af facts which are misleading and which alone can never suffice even for a temporary sol ution of the questions that concern us. How are you going to figure the con tribution of the home to the day's work of the man? You are paying the man for his work, but how much does that work owe to his home? How much to his position as a citizen? How much to his position as the provider of a family? The man does the work in the shop, but his wife does the work of the home, arid the shop must pay them both: on what system of figuring is the home going to find its place on the cost sheets ofxthe day's work? It finds its place there already in a sort of hap hazard way. If a man cannot support himself, his wife, his children, his hab itation, his position in societywhy, he doesn't stay at the job, that's all. It isn't a matter of cost and profit to him it is the matter of a "living." Is a man's own livelihood the "cost"? And is his ability to have a home and a family the "profit"? Is the profit on a day's, work to be computed on a cash basis only, measur ed by the amount a man has left over after his own and family's wants are all supplied? Is the livelihood of five or six per sons besides those of the actual worker to be charged up to "profit"? Or, are all these relationships to be considered strictly under head of ''cost," and the profit to be computed entirely outside of them? That is, after having supported himself and family, clothed them, housed them* educated them, given them the privileges inci dent to their standard of living ought there to be provision made for still something more*, in the way of savings profit, andsaii properly .chargeable to the day's work? These are questions which call for accurate observation and computation* Perhaps there is no one item con nected with our economic life that would surprice us more than a knowl- day It carries all the worker's obligations outside the shop it carries all that is necessary in the way of service and management inside the shop. The day's productive work is the most valuable ble to him, and should be no longer necessary. And^if it is made to do e\*n these, industry VMU have to be adjust to a schedule^ o- production, distrlj tion and reward which will stop leaks toward the pockets of jnen do not assist production in any' ^l^n^^tr^pi^ fir the^benefl those who ido." lir orj^r tio^^iireat^ia ^i I system which shall be as independent of tbiis good-will of b#erolent employers a yellow wheat, fairly rust as of the ill-will, of^elfish ones, we shall have to find a^ha^sis-in^e actual fa*t of life itself. $ It costs just- as much pyhslcal Closing our books for the year without thanking our patrons and friends for the business they have given us would leave one of our principal debts unpaid. With more settled business conditions in the Nation, we look forward to even a bigger and better year in 1920. We handle the celebrated Twin City Tractors, and will have a carload delivered here in February. Place your.j^ierwithjus^ithout delay. Los*'' i*- We also have the agency for the Reo and Oakland Automobiles and other standard cars, that give the very best satisfaction to thousands of users. A large stock of auto accessories and supplies always on hand. Fireproof Garage. We appreciate your business. We wish all our pa- trons a Merry Christmas and a Bright and Bountiful New MINNESOTA^AUTO XDQi strength to turn out a day's work when wheat isijl a bushel, as when wheat is $2.50 a bushel. Eggs may be 12 cents a dozen or 90 cents a dozenit makes no difference in the units of energy a man uses in a productive day's work. One would think that the real basis of value would be the cost edg6 of just what excess burdens the ^ttMrn- HR in day's work actually carries. fKKD-flpiCUM HM JD NOT PROFITABLE. vof trans muting human energy into articles of trade*and commerce. But no that most honest of all human-activities is made subject to the speculative shrewd ness of men who can 'produce false shortages of food and'other'commodi ties, and thus excite anxiety of demand in society. It is-not in industry that the trouble, lies, but in those regions beyond, where men lie in wait to seize the fruits of industry and create fa||e ajftrcities for the sake of arousing aripbjrapus demand for' things which, noriqaHj^ are and. ought to be accessible to ail who en gage in daily productive pursuits. We must begin with the land we must continue with the day's labor and we must keep so close, so jealous ly close to both these fundamentals that we shall.be suspicious and fearful of all that robs the land of men, and robs labor of its primal importance in ma terial life. We shall think out, and try out, arid establish more enduring economic sys tems as we go on about our work, than we shall ever be able to do sitting idle wtth our heads in our hands trying to "think" a new world system out of our brains. The day's work is the hub around which the whole wheel of earth-life swings. It must be kept central, both in our thinking and our action. Any system that shunts the day's work off to one side as unimportant, is riding to a fall. FIRST ESSENTIAL FOR CO-OPERATION. The division of research in agrifeul tural economics at University Farm, after having made a protracted stutjy of co-operation by farmers, finds ffiat Minnesota leads all the states in the number of co-operative companies. It finds, too, that Minnesota's lead is not likely to be challenged for many years to come. Sound economic neeil iseited by the investigators.as the basisffor a successful co-operative company. "Such a need exists," they declare, "where the present markets giv^jwjor service or take too large profits Jvhere the present marketing system is waste ful and expensive, and whenever tjhe 'farmers by combining can reach better markets with their products or teach themselves to turnout better products." A. C. Amy, associate professor of farm crops at University farm, says that Bed Durum wheat, known as "Do", put out Originally by the North Dakota) state, but recalled^by it on acopunt of lack of milling quality, should ot. be grown by Minnesota farmers. "It is a low yielder as compare|?with* good Durum varieties," says Mr. Arny, "and is low in milling value. Further more, Red Durum wheat of any kind brings 10 to 15 cents a bushel less than the Yellow Durum on the terminal mar kets and there is a reason for it. Therefore, avoid growing Red Durum wheat of any kind. If in doubt send in a sample for identification. ''The best Durum variety for sota at present is Mindum, No. 470," eonHnuea Mr. Amy. and a high yielder. Some seed variety is available for distribi University Farm and a greater at the Orookston station. vl ^THERE'S A SONG IN THE AIRI There's a sons in the air! i. There's a star in the sky! There's a mother's deep prayer,. 'And a baby's low cry! And the star rains its firs While the beautiful sins For the manger of Bethlehem Cradles a klngl There's a tumult of joy O'er the wonderful birth. For the Virgin's sweet boy Is the JLord of the earth. Aye! the Star rains its fire While fhe beautiful sing, .For the manger of Bethlehem Cradles a king! In the light of that star Lie the ages impearled. And that song from afar Has swept o'er the world. Every hearth is aflame. And the beautiful sing In the homes of the nations That Jesus is King! We rejoice in. the light. Arid we echo the song That comes down through the night From the heavenly throng. Aye! we shout to the lovely Evangel they bring. Arid we greet in his cradle ..Our Savior and King. ^-Josiah O. Holland. LORE OF THE YULE LOd Should Be Lighted From Portion of Last Year's Which Should Preserved for Good Luok. The Yule-log, a probable variant of the bonfireso characteristic of son festivalshas some interesting folk lore of its own. In medieval England, its duration coincided with the Christmas revels. As long as it burned, the tenant had a right to feed at the lord's expense. The log was often cut from an ash-tree the sacred: tree of our Saxon forefath ers. There is a gypsy legend that our Lord was born in a field and brought up by an ash-fire. The log should, properly, be lighted with a portion of last year's log, a piece of which is always supposed to be preserved for luck. At the sams time, that the Christmas fire was lit, the Christmas candle had to be lighted. (A portion of last year's taper has al so to be kept.) Jt, was unlucky to snuff the Christmas' candle, which burned for 12 daysthe period of festivity. At St. John's college, Oxford, can still be seen the ancient stone socket with the Agnus Dei stamp, in which the Christmas candle was placed on the high table. On the Isle of Man, the folk former ly'carried long tapers to church on Christmas eve. mm ,CI% X's'iWt- r.^l &:il X'l ^^.iV.i.s W V' (people ^K* v* fK t' 7' $*?$& Ff **$? The At this season of the year our thoughts turn toward those whose friendly relations have made possible bigger and better things so we sincerely extend to you and yours a hearty holiday greeting, 5Iay the New Year bring you its full measure of blessings together with all the good things .the old year failed to furnish: *v The Robertson Lumber Co. angfiaijaijafiafiafiafiafigfafiafiaianofiaiaiiafigipiiigiiafiat .*ic\: ^Kiielittle w0Sd "conMelleB,* or into nfearty^all relations of life, whether relating to busine^,*to ^vnifti6nt,'':''o O. L. HOLT. Agent Alvarado /Winn. SEISMcM (Independent Grain*Co. 00AlvaTBjAo9 Minn. Looking back upon its first year's business, this Company- has good reason to feel satisfied with the result and to look hopefully to the future. We want to thank our customers for the business with which they have favored us, and hope by fair dealing and prompt service to merit a continuation of their patronage in the year to come. Following a good time-honored custom at this time of the year we wish all our patrons and friends A MERRY CHRISTMAS .and a PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR H. A. Nystrom, Manager mere social affairs. i. *f.,- Commerce is built largelyon confidence. In Banking cdn- fidence is the main corner stone. In church and state, in schqol and home, confidence is an all-important factor. Lack of confi- dence between capital andlabor employer and employee, the and the government is largely responsible for the pres- ent unrest. The want of confidence breeds suspicion and dis- trust. Remove the confidence of the people from any institu- tion of whatever nature and it soon totters and falls. The confidence reposed in this Bank, the State Bank of Al- varado, by the people of this community, is the source of its strength and the cause of progress. Already this bank since* it was established in 1905 has outgrown two bankdbanking,hometthabuilding^ were deemed adequate when erected.4 Our thir commodious, modern and up-to-date, is now under construction and will be re^4y to move into in February next. In our new home we will have the best ffacilities for serving our patrons. Your business is solicitei. Our^#m in th^ future, as it has been in the past, will be to merit andto^i-etain the confidence of the people towhom we owe our success. 7 At this joyous season of the year* we take this opportunity to thank our patrons and friends for the business entrusted to us, and to wish one and all a MerryChristmas and a Prosperous New Year. ffiSfM L. M. OLSON, President aas^F. E. DAHLGREN, Cashier i M. H. SANDS, Vice President W.F. MALM, Assistant Cashier I C '~-r-m a* *V 4 -*2K y^ amtwlmt.,,*- it stands for, enters '*A\~&,